


Overwork for Perfection

by Kim Yoon Chan (Oziller)



Category: BTOB, K-pop
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2018-12-23 20:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11997165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oziller/pseuds/Kim%20Yoon%20Chan
Summary: “One more time,” he would tell Ilhoon at every session and Ilhoon always obliged, fingers replaying the song over. It was another three rounds of replaying the song that Ilhoon stepped in.“Alright, I think that’s enough today hyung,” he smiled at Hyunsik and got his signature eye smiles in return.





	1. Chapter 1

It was another gruelling round of promotions for BTOB, add to the fact that it was too hot for it to be normal, it was only time before someone faltered and fell behind. Unfortunately, this time it happened to be the ever smiling Hyunsik.

They were preparing for a concert appearance with double the amount of practices being crammed into their regular schedules. They needed to get it right, so Hyunsik had opted to put in extra practice sessions with Ilhoon, despite his body (and Eunkwang for that matter) telling him to slow down.

“One more time,” he would tell Ilhoon at every session and Ilhoon always obliged, fingers replaying the song over. It was another three rounds of replaying the song that Ilhoon stepped in.

“Alright, I think that’s enough today hyung,” he smiled at Hyunsik and got his signature eye smiles in return.

“Let’s head back,” he said, leading the way out the door, intent on washing up and sleeping the day off. The water had helped relax all of Hyunsik’s muscles and when he finally got into bed, he immediately melted and drained in his comforters, falling asleep straight away.

This had become his routine for the following week that led up to the concert date. His practice session had become longer and his break time shorter. Sungjae –the mostly oblivious maknae- had noticed this change in his schedules, so he made it his mission to keep his hyung well fed and had enough water. But the thing was…Sungjae gets easily distracted.

It was the day before the concert and BTOB were onstage doing rehearsals in the stadium. The sun today was shining extra bright, almost scorching anything and everything it touched. Staff members made it a point to have as much water bottles around as possible, hydrating everyone in this heat their priority. Everything was blinding for Hyunsik, he couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of him, but he did his best to keep up with their routine. They were going through their set for the second (or was it the third?) time that day when Hyunsik felt the oncoming symptoms of a headache. It had formed just behind his left eye, slowly creeping it’s way to his forehead. With a deep breath and a swallow of his saliva, he kept going, dancing his way through their song and hitting his notes just the way he’s supposed to, despite the ever growing headache, which was slowly rendering him useless.

“Hyung, are you ok?” Ilhoon had asked at their next break, eyes trained on him because he knew something wasn’t right, especially when he looked paler than he usually is. Hyunsik smiled and waved him off.

“I think it’s just the heat,” he casually replied and Ilhoon was quick to hand him a bottle.

“Here, drink this,” even under Ilhoon’s watchful stare he could only manage a few sips. Ilhoon didn’t like that one bit.

“Are we taking a lunch break soon hyung?” Ilhoon had asked Eunkwang. He wanted Hyunsik hyung to get more rest and drink some more to keep from dehydrating, but he couldn’t ask or talk about it out loud because Hyunsik will outright shut them down.

“Are you asking for a break already Ilhoonie? You must be super hungry today,” Minhyuk joked with him and Ilhoon laughed it off. He knew this was going to be a long fight.

As the day wore on, the sun kept warming up, hitting its peak when they were only a third through their first dress rehearsal. It hadn’t been long since their official lunch break and even with the insistence of most members; Hyunsik had gone past their words and only ate a mouthful of food before he went back to practicing.

“Do you think we should keep an eye on him?” Minhyuk asked Eunkwang when Hyunsik was out of earshot. The leader was about to wave the idea off but Ilhoon cut him off.

“He hasn’t had a proper break in awhile, let alone drink enough water,” he absentmindedly told them. Both Eunkwang and Minhyuk looked at him worriedly but they couldn’t read his expression.

“I tried to keep him hydrated but I got distracted,” Sungjae mumbled and Minhyuk gave him a comforting part on his back.

When they were all ushered back on stage, the sun seemed hotter than it had when they left for break. In the middle of the stage stood Hyunsik, who from the looks of it was catching his breath, and in the blink of an eye, he was back to practicing. Minhyuk shared a concerned look with Eunkwang while Ilhoon and the rest of the maknae line went straight for Hyunsik.

Earlier, when Hyunsik left the break room, he knew that the others were going to talk about him. He knew they were just worried but he was fine, honest. He stepped out into the scorching sun, his headache from earlier having multiplied since it began. Hyunsik contemplated on going back in but he knew that it wouldn’t do any good if he faltered any of the moves, so after a few moments of swaying on the spot, contemplating, he forced himself to move forward and do more practicing. He kept practicing the moves over and over until at one point he had to take a quick breather. That’s when the others came out and he knew he had to get back to work. With a deep breath, he straightened up and went right back to it.

“Hyung, stop please!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! :) Comment and let me know what you think...


	2. Chapter 2

_“Hyung, stop please!”_ he heard Sungjae call out to him, but of course, he didn’t. The others were only a few steps behind him now and he knew that they’d stop him by any means necessary, though the thoughts didn’t deter him in the least. It was only when Changsub grabbed hold of his wrists roughly, did he stop, eyes wide as he panted to catch his breath.

“What are you doing Hyunsik-ah…” Changsub’s tone was as soft as it could go, but it pierced through his being like a knife. Then he felt it; the feeling of dread that crept up the back of his neck. Changsub could already tell that something was not right when he noticed how Hyunsik’s eyes glazed over. He let go of Hyunsik’s arms in fear of holding it too tight, his expression was full of concern when he turned to look at his hyungs. Changsub then turned back to Hyunsik and called to him.

“Hyunsik-ah…” but he got no response.

Hyunsik’s vision started to blur, the longer he kept staring at Changsub. He was sure to register Changsub’s look of concern before black spots overtook his vision, which then widened and engulfed him entirely. Changsub watched in horror as he saw Hyunsik’s eyes roll back, his body instantly going limb as he collapsed, though Changsub was sure if he didn’t catch him, Hyunsik would’ve hit the ground with a loud thud.

“Hyunsik-ah! Wake up!” he tried by tapping his face as he slowly slid both of them to the floor.

The maknae line watched in shock at what just happened, Ilhoon more so than the others as his hands trembled by his side, and his eyes welled up with tears. His mind went blank not knowing what to do to help.

At the sound of Changsub’s cries, Eunkwang and Minhyuk rushed over, Minhyuk on his knees next to Changsub and Hyunsik.

“Hyung, he’s burning up,” Changsub told Minhyuk worriedly. Minhyuk reached out to put his palm to Hyunsik’s forehead and his brows creased further.

“Lay him on the floor,” Minhyuk instructed and Changsub did just that, gently laying him, while Eunkwang elevated his feet as best as he could. Minhyuk reached for the fan that he brought with him and started fanning Hyunsik.

“Everyone give him space...he needs air!” everyone took a step back.

“We need to try and cool him, move him to some shade,” he told them.

“Ok, someone go get cold water, like bottled water and lots of it. We also need a hand towel or something,” Eunkwang instructed the others before they all scattered except Ilhoon who stood still until he felt someone tug at his arm and pulled him away.

“We should try and wake him a little before we move him...if not we’ll have to move him regardless, he needs to be in shade,” Minhyuk kept fanning him worriedly, all the while wishing the others would hurry up. When the others eventually showed up, they had a load of bottled water amongst them all and even some ice that Minhyuk couldn’t fathom where they got it from. He and Eunkwang immediately made quick work on cooling Hyunsik down, making sure to cool as much skin as they could possibly reach.

Everything felt hot, his skin felt like it was burning and there was nothing he could do about it. He wanted to scream, wanted to run away from all this heat, but his body felt like lead. He felt so heavy that the only thing he could think to do, the thing he could only do at this point, was succumb to the darkness that kept calling out to him.

_‘No! I must go back to practice, I need to go back!’_

And then he felt it, the coolness that broke through the heat, if only by a little bit. Hyunsik’s mind was foggy, he couldn’t pinpoint where the coolness was coming from. All he knew was that he need to find it and reach it as quick as he could. He willed himself to keep searching, harder and further, the coolness felt near and far away at the same time.

_‘Come on Hyunsik! You need to get back to practice!’_

And it was as if the gates of fate opened for him; the coolness he had felt was so close to him that he could reach out and hold on to it. He held on tight, the darkness that engulfed him mere moments ago started to fade to brightness, blinding brightness. Hyunsik blinked, once, twice, a million times over to get used to the brightness and he eventually got to the point of consciousness. But that wasn’t the end. The heat was still there, less prominent than before but still there. The cold was there too, a relief he leaned towards as best as he could, an involuntary groan escaped his lips.

Minhyuk was cooling Hyunsik’s face and neck when he heard the groan that came from Hyunsik.

“Hyunsik-ah...?” he whispered, eyes wide as he looked for any more signs of consciousness.

_‘That voice sounds familiar...hyung...’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of this chapter :)
> 
> Also, subscribe to chaptered fics (like this one) and any series I write so you'd be the first to know of updates!  
> Remember, subscribing is anonymous!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunsik gets checked out and sent home.

“Hyunsik-ah...come back, we’re all here waiting for you,” Minhyuk kept talking in hopes of Hyunsik following his voice. Hyunsik forced himself to open his eyes, his eyelids felt heavy but he kept forcing himself, kept making his way towards that voice.

Slowly -so slowly- he opened his eyes, shutting them closed again as the blinding light caught him off guard and he couldn’t see a thing.

“Hyunsik-ah, it’s ok, you’re ok...we need to move you inside, to shade ok? Just hold on a little longer then you can rest,” Eunkwang whispered as soothingly as he could, his fingers ran through Hyunsik’s hair over and over.

“Eunkwangie, you should move him.” Minhyuk mentioned and Eunkwang could only nod his head. Changsub stepped forward and helped Minhyuk with putting Hyunsik onto Eunkwang’s back. Carefully, Eunkwang got to his feet and walked slowly to their waiting room. When they got in, Minhyuk helped Eunkwang lay Hyunsik on the couch, and it wasn’t long before they got back to cooling him down again.

“Hyunsik-ah...you need to drink some water, you’re dehydrated,” a groan escaped Hyunsik’s lips.

“Hyunsik-ah...I think you’ve overexerted yourself plus the heat is not helping , so you need to _drink_ lots of water, but just a little bit now and then you can rest ok?”

Changsub looked at the others in worry, his expression similar to the others. Hyunsik tried his best to stay awake but with every passing moment, it was getting hard for him. Changsub handed Minhyuk a bottle and after he managed to open it, he put it to Hyunsik’s lips and slowly tipped it. Hyunsik’s enegery had been sapped out of him drastically, so the mere action of drinking water is almost impossible. Lines of water miss his mouth entirely and dribble down his chin, but Minhyuk paid it no mind as he tried to get as much water into Hyunsik as he could.

“I think that’s enough water Minhyuk-ah...it’s not safe to drown him straight away...” Eunkwang voiced out, Minhyuk stared at him restlessly before he stopped his hand and handed the bottle back to Changsub.

“We should take him home and get him a cold bath or something,” Changsub suggested and everyone was silent.

“We need to get him checked out by a doctor first...I thought there was supposed to be a medic on site??” Peniel spoke out and Minhyuk knew he was right. So he got Eunkwang and they both left to look for the medic and a manager.

When they finally found the medic (who just arrived, much to their disappointment), they made them check him all over, not leaving anything out. They watched Hyunsik weakly respond to the medics as they asked him questions and checked his vitals.

“So, is it serious? Does he need the hospital?” Eunkwang asked them when it looked like they were finished.

“Thankfully, it’s nothing too serious. He’s looked to have overworked himself and on top of that, he’s dehydrated too. He needs to take a few days rest and his fluid intake needs to be monitored. We can take him to the hospital and they’ll give him an IV to help with his dehydration but I think it’s unnecessary if he can be constantly monitored at home, he’ll be most comfortable there in any case,” explained the medic as he looked to Eunkwang, waiting for his decision.

“I’m sure we can have one of us stay with him for constant care. How much water should he be drinking to get his fluid levels back up?” Minhyuk asked; the hint of concern in his voice still evident.

“I suggest two glasses, three if he can take it, every few hours. If you’ve got any painkillers, best to give him those and a lot of rest. No schedules for a day or two,” the medic instructed, while the others just listened helplessly. By the time the medic had left them be, they already planned to take him home straight away.

It was another ten minutes or so that Minhyuk got into a van with a sleeping Hyunsik. Eunkwang decided that he and Minhyuk were to head home and tend to Hyunsik while the rest kept with their schedules. The first thing they do is strip Hyunsik of all his sweated clothes and filled the bath with cool water. They slowly and carefully helped a half conscious Hyunsik in the tub with Eunkwang in there with him as well. The last they had seen Minhyuk was when he mentioned he was going to get water for Hyunsik. Since then, Eunkwang had been doing his best to keep him cool with a wet towel (he had started with a small bucket but the force of the water that fell on Hyunsik was too much and every time Eunkwang dumped a bucketful on him, he would jerk in shock). By the time Minhyuk had come back, Eunkwang had his eyes closed; only shifting a little bit when he heard Minhyuk come in.

“How’s he doing?” Minhyuk asked as he played with Hyunsik’s fringe and softly caressed his wet cheeks.

“He’s still weak, I think after giving him water we should get him to bed. He’s already asleep anyways,” Eunkwang answered as he set the towel aside.

“Hyunsik-ah…time for some water…” Minhyuk woke him up softly. Hyunsik groaned but other than that didn’t make any motion of waking any further.

“Aigoo, come on Hyunsik, you need to drink to get your fluids back up,” they tried to coax him and without waiting for the other to respond, Minhyuk had placed the straw between Hyunsik’s lips before he unconsciously took sips. Soon enough, Hyunsik had sipped through half the glass and he squeezed his eyes shut, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. Both Eunkwang and Minhyuk had to supress their bouts of giggles when they realized that Hyunsik was almost to dreamland, while still in the tub. Slowly and carefully, they both helped Hyunsik out of the tub and dried him as best they could, before dressing him in pyjamas. Minhyuk helped Hyunsik to his bed and tucked him in while Eunkwang was getting dressed, bottles of water at the ready on the bedside.

“We should check on him regularly and get him to drink more,” Eunkwang noted as he walked out of the bathroom.

“Think we need to take him to the hospital?” Minhyuk asked as they watched Hyunsik sleeping peacefully.

“How about we monitor his fever too? If it gets too high, we’ll go,” was the answer he got. For a moment, Minhyuk looked at him in shock; he wasn’t used to the serious side of Eunkwang, even though he has seen it before it still shocked him when this side of Eunkwang showed. He nodded his head in agreement, taking one last look at Hyunsik and then he got up and walked out the room followed by Eunkwang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of this chapter! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The concert is still going ahead which leaves Hyunsik behind in bed.

For the rest of the day, they both took turns in waking Hyunsik up and giving him water and they made sure to give him some food as well. Even when the others had arrived home, mouth running a mile a minute to ask if their hyung was ok, they didn’t stop with their water schedule, merely putting in time to explain to the others of the situation. Between Eunkwang and Minhyuk, they had decided that one of them were to stay with Hyunsik overnight just in case anything happened and when Minhyuk agreed to do it, Eunkwang went away to talk to the managers to talk about the concert.

The next morning, while Hyunsik was still sleeping, Eunkwang called for a family meeting. He got everyone at the dining table, and while they were eating breakfast he went over what he had discussed last night with the managers.

“So, unfortunately, today’s concert can’t be cancelled. Obviously. On top of that, the managers has come to the decision that all of us are to perform,”

“Wait, Hyunsik will be staying at home by himself??” Changsub had chimed in with an incredulous concerned look, one that was mirrored by Minhyuk and the others.

“There’s no other option right now, they can’t afford to have two members missing for today’s show. But the managers told me that as soon as our parts done, one of us will be taken home straight away, and I advised them Minhyuk would be the one to go,” all of them looked at their food solemnly, their usual excited morning routine turned to a quiet affair.

Ilhoon was the first to get up from the table and without a word; he made his way to Hyunsik’s room, a slight frown on his face. He stared at Hyunsik’s sleeping form for a minute, before he made his way over to the bed and sat down beside Hyunsik, hands busied themselves with pulling the covers up for him.

“Hyung-ah…” he whispered. “…get well soon ok? I already miss hanging out with you,” Ilhoon stayed and stared for a second longer and then he was on his feet and out the door. Minhyuk waited patiently outside for Ilhoon to come out and when he did all he gave out was a small comforting smile. Ilhoon returned his smile and made his way past Minhyuk. With a deep breath, he stepped inside the bedroom and sat by the bed, ready to wake him up a little.

“Hyunsik-ahh...” he called out as he shook the sleeping form. A groaned left Hyunsik’s lips but he doesn’t wake.

“Come on Hyunsikkie...wake up, just for a little while,” he tried again and this time Hyunsik opened his eyes.

“Hyungg...?” his voice softly whispered out, his eyes slightly glazed over.

“We’re going out now; we have to do the concert...” Minhyuk started and as soon as the word ‘concert’ left his lips, something in Hyunsik clicked and he sat up so fast that Minhyuk didn’t have time to stop him. Immediately, the room started to spin for Hyunsik, his hand raised to hold his head steady.

“Aish, Hyunsik-ah...why’d you get up so quick, you’re still not well,” Minhyuk scolded him in a small voice.

“Hyung, concert, have to go,” Hyunsik worded out. It didn’t take an idiot to figure out what he was trying to say, Minhyuk’s heart dropped at the realization.

“No, you’re not going,” he started to explain and Hyunsik looked ready to protest but Minhyuk ignored it, in favour of slowly lowering Hyunsik back onto the bed.

“We talked to the managers but they won’t let any of us stay behind with you, which means you have to stay here by yourself for a few hours...” Minhyuk told him, his hand ran itself through Hyunsik’s hair to calm him down.

“But as soon as we’re done with the performance, I’ll come home straight away so you’re not alone ok?” Hyunsik doesn’t reply and Minhyuk wondered if it was really wise to leave Hyunsik all by himself.

“I’ll leave water and your phone on the beside, call if you need anything,” Minhyuk left said items on the beside and pulled the covers up again for Hyunsik before he left the room.

“Is he ok?” Eunkwang asked him when he stepped out.

“He wanted to come with us, was ready to argue about it but I held him down. His fever has lessened but he still needs to keep drinking more water,” Minhyuk answered him with a small smile. Eunkwang looked like he was about to say something but he closed up last minute and only patted Minhyuk on the back. Quietly, he ushered the rest of them out the door, wanting to finish their schedules as quick as possible.

When Hyunsik came to some time later, the first thing he noticed was the uncomfortable silence of the dorm. It was never this quiet, even when there was only one or two of them in the dorm at any time, and through his sickness, Hyunsik felt like the silence was almost stifling. In his grogginess and state of half asleep, he reached out and took a swig from the bottle of water Minhyuk left earlier. Three swigs later, he put the bottle down and went back to sleep, too tired to do much else. Plus, he wanted to drown out the silence with happy dreams.

To say the atmosphere of the waiting room was uncomfortable was an understatement. The air felt so thick for them that some had resorted to taking walking breaks just to get some relief. But thankfully they had finished their set, so all that was left was to send Minhyuk home and get back to their assigned seats in the stadium.

“I’ll make sure to cook him something. I highly doubt that he would’ve left the bed since we left him, I just hope he’d at least drank some of that water,” Minhyuk rambled as he shuffled around gathering his things.

“Maybe check his temperature again,” Ilhoon said in passing, and if it wasn’t for the crease of his eyebrows, others would have just brushed his words off. But right now, they knew he was concerned but doing all he could not to show it.

_Ahh, their second maknae._

Minhyuk nodded his head absentmindedly and with a sigh, he said his goodbyes to the others and walked to the door with Eunkwang, who just patted his back in encouragement. The ride home had much the same silence as the dorm did and the stars may just have aligned for Minhyuk because as far as he could tell, he had arrived back in record time. He thanked the driver and made his way inside the dorm, with careful, quiet steps once he’s shut the door behind him. The first thing he does once he’s put down his things, was to check that Hyunsik was indeed still in bed.

Hyunsik was still in bed and if it wasn’t for the drunken bottle of water, Minhyuk would’ve thought that Hyunsik never moved an inch. With more careful steps, he moved his way out of the room and walked to the kitchen, the thought of beef noddle soup stuck in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my avid reader, I had put a teeny Hoonsik moment in this fic as requested. There may be another one in the next chapter so look out for that. Also, I may write a Hoonsik specific one later when I've got a good idea for it. 
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys come home from the concert

The next time Hyunsik came to, his nose reacted to the smell of soup. His eyebrows creased in confusion and he briefly wondered what time it was. Maybe the boys were home already and he slept through the day like it was nothing? He weakly reached out to his phone and winced when the light blinded him, so he pushed past it and checked the time. It was nearly three…three in the morning? Afternoon? Either way, Hyunsik had slept for hours longer than he usually does, out cold to the world. He was about to get himself up to investigate the nice smell, but the door opening stopped him. He looked to the door and Minhyuk was standing there with a tray in his hands.

“Oh, Hyunsik-ah...you’re awake,”

“Did the concert go ok?” was the first thing Hyunsik asked, even when his voice was croaky from underuse, work was still at the forefront of his mind.

“The concert went well, but you shouldn’t be worrying yourself about that remember? You need to rest, not just your body but your mind too. Just until we deem you better at least,” Minhyuk had walked over and was now sitting next to Hyunsik on the edge of the bed. His legs were starting to warm up due to the tray in his lap, though his eyes never left Hyunsik’s.

“I made you some noodle soup, why don’t you try eating it while it’s still warm. It’ll give you some energy, and you’ll probably feel better after...” he gently coaxed. Thankfully for Minhyuk, Hyunsik hadn’t lost his appetite like Minhyuk thought he would as the other reached out lethargically but with hunger in his eyes.

“Thanks hyung,” he smiled,; his eye smile just barely visible. Minhyuk placed the tray in Hyunsik’s lap so that the soup didn’t burn him, making sure that none of it would spill.

“Hyung, will the others be home soon?” Hyunsik questioned after he took a big spoonful of the noodle soup.

“In a couple of hours I assume, they still have the end stage to go through,” Minhyuk answered as he busied himself with clearing some things in the room. It was quiet for a few moments before Hyunsik piped up.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve looked after myself better,” his voice sounded small and soft compared to his normal tone and Minhyuk had to stop what he was doing to take a look at him. His head was down as he stared at the soup, eyes unmoving.

“Hyunsik-ah...you don’t have to apologize. Yes, you should’ve looked after yourself better, but as your hyungs we should’ve looked out for you too. All that matters is that you’re getting better now and that _hopefully_ you don’t do this again. If you have any problems or feel like you can’t keep up, just talk to us and we can figure something out, instead of going through all this, ok?” Minhyuk’s voice was as soft as he could get it but Hyunsik doesn’t respond, just absentmindedly stirring his soup.

“Hyunsik-ah...” Minhyuk called out as he sat back down again on the edge of the bed. Hyunsik looked up and when his eyes met Minhyuk’s, he couldn’t help but sigh in content. He should’ve known that one of them would eventually find the reason behind his recent downfall; he also should’ve known that it would be Minhyuk who could get to the bottom of it. Why did he hide it in the first place if he knew this was going to happen? Well, too late to dwell on that now. A small smile crept onto his face.

“Promise you’ll talk to one of us first if you feel overwhelmed? We’d rather work through it together, than have any of us suffer alone, that’s not what family is for,”

“I promise hyung, I’m sorry,” Hyunsik answered him and Minhyuk couldn’t find it in him to tell the boy to stop apologizing. Instead, he put on a smile and told him to eat up.

“And don’t forget to drink that juice,” Minhyuk then left the room and walked back to the kitchen to cook some more for the boys for when they got home. By the time Minhyuk finished cooking; Hyunsik had finished half his soup and his glass of juice and the boys had just walked through the door.

“How is he?” is the first question Eunkwang asked as he stepped further into the dorm.

“Getting better,” Minhyuk answered him as he started on cleaning the dishes. “He woke up and I got him to eat some soup and drink juice, but he’s gone back to sleep now,”

“That’s good. Did you cook already??” Eunkwang looked to the stove as the smell wafted through his nose, and Minhyuk nodded.

“Ah, you could’ve waited and we could’ve done it together,” Eunkwang’s whiny voice almost came through. Minhyuk waved him off with a smile.

“I didn’t have much to do anyways, but you can help set up the table if you want. I’m sure the kids are scrambling for the shower right now, so no use in going that way yet...”a chuckle left their lips and Eunkwang chimed in with an afterthought:

“Well in that case, I’ll make the kids do the clean up once we’re done,”

Once most of the boys had washed up, they decided to eat up before they worked on their own projects. They had all taken their seats at the table when they noticed that Ilhoon wasn’t there.

“Where’s Ilhoon?” Changsub asked as he spooned food onto his plate.

“I think he’s with Hyunsik, I’ll go get him,” Minhyuk answered as he motioned to get up but Eunkwang got up instead.

“I’ll go,” Eunkwang walked to Hyunsik’s room and knocked on the door before he opened it and entered. When he walked in, he found Ilhoon on one side of the bed, propped up by some pillows, his phone in hand, though he had long fallen asleep. Eunkwang stared at how his head was now leaning to his side, held up by his own shoulder and wondered about the pain Ilhoon would feel when he woke up. He walked over and gently shook Ilhoon awake.

“Ilhoon-ah...wake up,” Ilhoon groaned but he didn’t wake.

“Come on, you need to wake up,” he tried again, this time Ilhoon groggily reached out his hand and began swatting at Eunkwang’s arms. The leader laughed as quietly as he could and easily got hold of the swatting hands.

“If you don’t wake up now, you’ll hurt your neck. Also, Minhyukkie won’t be too pleased if you skip dinner,” Ilhoon slowly opened his eyes and stared at Eunkwang, before he came to the realization that yes, his neck is definitely hurting him. Ever so slowly, he straightened his head, hating how right Eunkwang was. He turned his head to the other side and watched Hyunsik’s sleeping form.

“He’ll be fine, he just needs to rest some more. By tomorrow afternoon, he’ll be good as new,” Eunkwang followed his line of sight.

“He needs food,”

“He had food. Minhyukkie gave him soup earlier, you on the other hand haven’t had any,” Eunkwang tried again to get him out of bed. Ilhoon looked at Eunkwang, to Hyunsik then back to Eunkwang. With a hesitant sigh, he got himself up slowly, careful not to jostle the bed more than necessary. Eunkwang followed him out of the room, a small victory smile on his lips.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunsik starts feeling much better.

It was very late that night when Hyunsik woke up again, his room being darker than it was previously. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and slowly sat up, heavily leaning his back on the beds backboard. Hyunsik wondered if the others were still up (what time was it anyways?), wondered if someone was going to walk in any minute to check on him. He sat up fully and swung his legs off the bed, taking a few moments to get himself up. When he got himself steady on his feet and was about to walk the door, it slowly swung open with a mildly surprised Ilhoon on the other side.

“Oh, you’re supposed to be sleeping some more...” Ilhoon mumbled as he stepped in and towards Hyunsik.

“I woke up and got thirsty, I wasn’t sure if anyone was still up,” Hyunsik answered, with a sheepish smile.

“You should get back in bed, I’ll get you water,” Ilhoon tried but Hyunsik just gave him a small smile.

“Ilhoonie, I’m fine. I’ve been in that bed for the whole day, I need to stretch my legs before they go limp on me,”

“Ah...” Ilhoon scratched at the back of his head in nervousness and Hyunsik had to chuckle at the sight.

“Walk me to the kitchen?” Hyunsik tried to give him his best eye smile, which thankfully worked for him.

“Sure. Minhyuk hyung is still in there anyways,” Ilhoon moved out of the doorway to let Hyunsik walk over. They both walked to the kitchen in silence, the sounds of Minhyuk going about in the kitchen getting louder as they got closer.

“Oh, Hyunsik-ah...you’re up,” Minhyuk called out when he noticed Hyunsik walking in with Ilhoon.

“I got thirsty hyung...” he answered. Ilhoon unconsciously got him to sit down while Minhyuk got him a glass of water.

“I assume you’re feeling better?”

“Hmm, a little bit. Thank you hyung,” the sheepish smile came back onto his face.

“Just a little bit??” Ilhoon questioned as his eyebrows rose up incredulously. Minhyuk gave him a warning look but Ilhoon missed it.

“I don’t feel so warm anymore and the headaches mostly gone, but I still feel too tired and lethargic,”

“That’s a good sign; you’ll be back to good in no time. Another days rest, then when you’re 100% we’re going to talk about this,” Minhyuk said in a semi stern tone.

“Yes hyung,” Hyunsik nodded his head and gave a small smile. Minhyuk smiled and gave him a big bottle and some painkillers.

“We should head to bed, it’s late,” Minhyuk told them and helped Hyunsik to his feet. Minhyuk bided them goodnight, which left Ilhoon to walk Hyunsik back to his bedroom. When they arrived at the door, Ilhoon also bided him goodnight before he walked back to his own room. Hyunsik carefully made his way over to his bed and climbed in, pulling the covers well over himself. He made sure to take the pills before he shut his eyes and fell into dreamland.

The next morning, Hyunsik woke up feeling much better than he had the night previous. He scooted himself upright and looked at the time, wondering if the others were up or even still in the dorm. He looked to his bedside and reached out to his bottle, drinking as much as his sleepy form can take. He had drank nearly half the water when he heard someone knock on his door lightly, said door opening moments later.

“Oh, Hyunsik-ah, you’re awake. And drinking water I see,” Minhyuk said as he stood at the door. Hyunsik just smiled at him.

“If you’re feeling up to it you should join us for breakfast. I think monkey is going restless without having anyone laughing at his jokes,” he teased before a voice –clearly Eunkwang’s- was heard behind him.

“YAH!” everyone in the dorm is heard laughing and Hyunsik couldn’t help but join in the laughter. With a deep breath, Hyunsik shoved the covers off and got himself up. He made his way to the kitchen, where mostly everyone was sitting, breakfast waiting for them on the table.

“Hyung!” Sungjae called out to him with a big smile and Hyunsik returned it as he sat in an empty seat.

“Are you feeling better?” Peniel asked him and he nodded.

“You had us all worried hyung,” Sungjae mumbled into his breakfast. Hyunsik looked down at his food guiltily.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” he answered with an uncharacteristic frown.

“But you’re all better now right?? Yay!” the maknae did a funny dance, leaving Hyunsik to smile and laugh while Peniel also joined in the dancing. Just as Eunkwang and Minhyuk were exchanging a knowing look, Ilhoon came out of the bathroom, hair wet from the shower. He smiled when he saw Hyunsik at the table, but straight away he changed his expression and gave a jokingly disgusted look.

“Hey, hyung, you should wash up, you're stinking up the place,” he said as he walked by, towards his bedroom. Hyunsik showed an eye smile –one he had hadn’t shown in days- then he decided to go wash up like Ilhoon said he should. By the time he had finished, the bathroom was filled with steam and when he opened the door, the steam billowed out below him like in any horror movie. He smiled in amazement and rejoined the others at the table.

“So, what’s our schedule for today?” he asked out of habit, but mostly because he missed working with the others, even for a day.

“Well, we have two guest appearance and a radio show to do. After that, I think we have to run through the dance routine before tomorrow’s night performance,” Eunkwang rolled out without a beat.

“But you’re not coming with us Hyunsik-ah,” Changsub spoke up for the first time that morning.

“Ahh hyung...!” Hyunsik protested but Eunkwang stepped in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time flies...this is the second last chapter...
> 
> don't forget to bookmark if you liked this fic...then you can read over and over!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunsik starts feeling wayy better and is itching to work again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh...I'm sorry this took so long to post. I wanted to post it before I left for my week holiday but I forgot...anyways, here is the last chapter.

“He’s right Hyunsik-ah...you need to stay and rest today, tomorrow you can join us for last dance practice and the night cover but that’s it,” Eunkwang doesn’t say anything more, but even that was enough to make Hyunsik sigh at his food. Minhyuk reached out and gave him a comforting pat on the back. Breakfast then became a noisy affair, everyone talking on top of each other, readily recounting details of the past day to Hyunsik so he was caught up.

“Ah, we have to leave soon,” Minhyuk informed them as he got up and started on the dishes. They all hurriedly stacked their dishes in the sink and went to grab their things. Eunkwang, Minhyuk and Hyunsik made sure to clean the table while the others rushed around.

“You all go ahead, we’ll be right behind you in the other car,” Eunkwang ushered them out the door and with confused looks and unanswered questions; they all left for the awaiting car. Hyunsik looked at his hyungs confused as well but Minhyuk just gave him a small smile.

“We, uh...we wanted to have a talk with you before we left,” Eunkwang told him with an awkward smile.

 _Ah, here we go,_ Hyunsik though. He sat down at the table again and both Eunkwang and Minhyuk took a seat on either side of him.

“Hyunsik-ah...you’re old enough to look after yourself, we all know that. But our hands are tired when something like this happens. As your hyungs and Eunkwang as leader, we can’t let you run yourself to the ground like you did and we are sorry that we didn’t stop you sooner,” Minhyuk started the speech, and Hyunsik wanted to say something but he knew that whatever he said, they would only shut him down (gently of course).

“We all want to perform better, and work harder but that doesn’t mean we put it over our own health understand?” Hyunsik felt like a little child, getting a scolding from his parents, who really can’t scold him because they adore him too much.

“If you’re having any troubles, you need to talk to one of us, or even the young ones. They won’t do anything that would help you though...” Hyunsik had to suppress the laugh that was about to leave his lips but he couldn’t help the smile that came through.

“We could even have group circles if you want,” Minhyuk suggested and Hyunsik was quick to show him a semi disgusted expression and when Minhyuk turned to look at the leader, Eunkwang also held the same expression.

“O-kay...maybe not a group circle, but you know what I mean. No more overworking –especially in this heat- and make sure to eat, drink and sleep as much as you can ok? From now on we’re dragging you home from the dance studio with us!”

“Ah hyunggg!” Hyunsik protested with a frown.

“No, we’re not letting you stay longer than necessary and that’s final. Hyunsik-ah, no one is perfect, especially not a bunch of crazy boys like us. Please listen to your hyungs, we just want you better,” Eunkwang had a comforting hand running up and down Hyunsik’s back to calm him. Soon enough, Hyunsik looked down at his hands and nodded his head.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard now was it?” Eunkwang rhetorically asked him and showed him one of his many crazy expressions, which Hyunsik always falls for. Eunkwang smiled big at him and ruffled his hair.

“We have to get going, rest some more ok? And don’t forget to drink more water too,” and with a small smile from Minhyuk, they both walked out, leaving Hyunsik by himself again. He looked around the dorm and wondered what he could do to pass the time and decided to watch a movie or two. Two movies turned into three and when Hyunsik thought of doing some house chores, his energy had depleted. So he opted for another movie.

It was very early in the morning when the rest of them got home and with them, they bought their dinner of chicken. Hyunsik had fallen asleep on the couch, the sound of the tv as background, the only evidence of what he was up to.

“Hyunsik-ah...wake up, we have chicken!” Eunkwang shook him awake as everyone shuffled about the house, washing up and what not. Hyunsik groaned as he sat up and briefly wondered how long he’d been asleep for.

“You’re home already,” he mumbled as Minhyuk walked over to him with a bottle of water.

“Hmm, have you been drinking your water like you’re supposed to?” he was asked as he took the bottle from Minhyuk.

“Yes hyung and I ate some leftover breakfast,” he informed Minhyuk. He took a few sips of the water before he helped with unpacking their dinner.

“This looks good!” he exclaimed as he eyed the food.

“Eat up Hyunsik-ah...” Changsub told him as he handed over a plate, but Hyunsik just put the plate down and waited for the others. Dinner was a loud affair, even at the ungodly hour (the younglings had a little trouble doing inside voices sometimes). Hyunsik joined in the conversations, his smile ever present and the heaviness in his heart that was once there had slowly disappeared.

“Time for bed!” someone shouted out, one of the hyungs he bet.

“But hyunnnggggg!!” he protested, his time with the others being cut short when in fact it had been a few hours since they arrived home.

“No buts...you always have trouble getting up after chicken dinner,” Minhyuk laughed and everyone knew it was directed to Eunkwang. They all helped clear the table and retreated to their own rooms for the night. Hyunsik fell asleep easily, the thought of being allowed to work tomorrow made him excited.

And because of that plus his renewed energy, he was the first to wake up in the morning. His feet automatically took him to the kitchen to start on coffee and while the water was boiling, he took the chance to be first for the bathroom. An hour later, one by one the rest woke up to the smell of cooked breakfast, courtesy of Hyunsik. Even when Minhyuk scolded him for doing such a thing when he’s still supposed to be in recovery mood, he smiled and waved it off, the feeling of excitement taking over his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all that stuck around for this story...that is it for now. But I do have an Ilhoon story in the works so stay tuned for that. :)


End file.
